Tuesday 22 February 2011

Queensland Patriots make John Reid Grand Final


The Queensland Patriots came agonisingly close to being crowned 2011 National Champions after making the John Reid grand final against ACT.
On home soil, the Queensland Patriots displayed their skills when they took on the powerhouse ACT in the final.  It was an exciting game with great defensive plays and good hitting by both teams, but unfortunately the Patriots couldn't score a run, and they lost 3-0.
It was a long road to the final for the Patriots after they came in fourth position after the round games.  In their first sudden death semi-final verse NSW, Queensland won 6-4.  Then, in the second elimination semi final verse last year's national champions, WA, the Patriots won the game in style, with an Andrew Blackshaw walk-off home run in the bottom of the 7th innings to put Queensland in the grand final.
Following is their round and final results;
Tuesday 15th Feb
QLD 6 def VIC 2
QLD 11 def NT 0
QLD 13 def WA 4
Wednesday 16th Feb
ACT 9 def QLD 2
NSW 5 def QLD 4
QLD 11 def NT 1
Thursday 17th Feb
NSW 1 def QLD 0
QLD 11 def VIC 1
Friday 18th Feb
WA 5 def QLD 1
ACT 2 def QLD 1
Semi Final 1: QLD 6 def NSW 4 
Saturday 19th Feb
Semi Final 2: QLD 6 def WA 5
Grand Final: ACT 3 def QLD 0

Congratulations to the Patriots on a great 2011 John Reid Shield campaign.

Queensland Heat finish Gilley's Shield in third spot


Queensland Heat have improved on their performance last year to finish third in the 2010/11 Gilley's Shield.

They headed into the final round in second position, but slipped to third after losing vital round games against the ACT Diamonds and the VIC Titans.
Following are the Round 4 (pre-finals) results;
Thursday 17th Feb
ACT Diamonds 3 def QLD Heat 0
VIC Titans 3 def QLD Heat 0 
Friday 18th Feb
QLD Heat 7 def NSW Firestars 2

On Friday night, they played the ACT Diamonds in a sudden death semi-final.  With great team hitting and defense, Queensland won 3 runs to 2, moving them into Saturday's second elimination semi final against NSW Firestars.
Unfortunately, Queensland Heat lost to the NSW Firestars 4-0. 
In the grand final, the WA Flames won back to back titles when they beat the NSW Firestars 1-0.
Congratualtions to the Queensland Heat for their Gilley's Shield campaign.

Tuesday 15 February 2011

Redlands couple to lead QLD campaigns on local diamonds


Redlands couple Jason Nathan and Kelly McKellar-Nathan have a double Queensland victory planned for the national softball finals to be held in Redlands next week.
The final round of the 2010/2011 Gilley’s Shield national open women’s tournament and the complete 2011 John Reid Shield national open men’s tournament will be hosted by Redlands Softball Association from next Tuesday 15 February to Saturday 19 February. 
Jason is the captain of the Queensland Patriots open men’s softball team, and Kelly is one of the most experienced members of the Queensland Heat open women’s softball team.

The pair agreed it would be a dream come true for Queensland to achieve victory in both the men’s and women’s national tournaments in front of a home crowd.
“My ambition is to win the Gilley’s Shield at home!  It would be even more extraordinary to be part of a double national championship, and Patriots win the John Reid Shield at home!” Kelly said. 
“My ambition is the same as my wife’s. To win the John Reid Shield at home and share that win with the Heat taking out the Gilley’s Shield on home soil!,” Jason said.
Fellow members of Redlands Softball Association will compete alongside Kelly and Jason for Queensland. Ngamoko Hiku, Aperira Stone, Jade Wall and Stacey Webber will play as members of the Queensland Heat line-up, and Andrew Blackshaw, Guy Covacin, Shaun Goffer, Julian Jemmott, Josh King and Luke Van de Greindt will play for the Queensland Patriots.
The Queensland Heat will begin the final round of the 2010/2011 Gilley’s Shield in runners-up position after strong performances in the first three rounds of the tournament played over the last three months in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth respectively.

The Queensland Heat are trailing their arch rivals the NSW Firestars by just one game in the premier domestic tournament, in which they hold an impressive history with wins in 2006, 2007 and 2009 before finishing a disappointing fourth place in 2010.
The chance to win back the national shield in front of a home crowd should be more than enough to motivate the Queensland Heat players; however positions in the Aussie Spirit Squad to work towards next year’s Women’s World Championship will also be up for grabs.
The Queensland Patriots will be looking to build on their third place finish in the 2010 John Reid Shield, and also to impress national selectors who will be scouting talent to help defend the Aussie Steelers’ world title at the next Men’s World Softball Championship to be held in 2013.
World Softball Championships are now the premier international softball events following the exclusion of the sport from the 2012 and 2016 Olympic programs.

Wednesday 9 February 2011

Queensland Patriots YouTube Video


Check out the YouTube Video of the Queensland Patriot's preparations for the up and coming 2011 John Reid Shield.


Monday 7 February 2011

Patriots Tournament - a success!

The 2011 Patriots tournament was again another success, with over $ 2000 being raised for the Patriots from the 29th- 30th of January.
 
Held at Redlands Softball Association, the tournament featured four A grade mens teams (Scorpions, Raiders, TAN and the Patriots) as well as four Masters mens teams (Strikers, PK Pride, Bruins and Scorpions).
 
The weekend was a great preparation for the Patriots who start their national campaign in less than two weeks time.
 
Following are the results:
 
Masters:  PK Pride defeated Bruins in the final
 
Open Men: Raiders defeated Scorpions in the final
 
Exhibition match:  Australia defeated New Zealand
 
Congratulations to the following Patriots players who were awarded individual trophies:
 
Damian Nairn (MVP)
Aaron Clarke (Best Pitcher)
Corey Matakatea (Best Batter)
 
Thank you to everyone who was involved in making the weekend a success!